


Shifting Sands

by jedichick04



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 09:39:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3973213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedichick04/pseuds/jedichick04
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I always knew red was your color."</p><p>Theroy future fic, set a few years post 3x23.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shifting Sands

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff written quickly for my best friend, who needed it after some bad news today. 
> 
> You'll probably get a toothache after reading it. ;)

Thea had taken a cocktail and wandered away from the little gathering, slipping down on to the sand of the beach. She eyed the sand, thinking about taking a seat to watch the waves for a few quiet minutes before she’d have to rejoin everybody, to walk through the ceremony that would be taking place tomorrow. She thought better of sitting, not wanting to be shaking sand out of the dress she was wearing the rest of the night, but she did kick off her heels. She wiggled her toes in the sand as she took a sip of her drink, watching the waves softly crashing onto the shore. The resort itself was uncrowded--made so by the couple who just wanted a private weekend with their closest friends as they finally pledged their lives to each other.

She could have brought a date with her, if she’d wanted. Then again, anyone outside of their little league tended to get starstruck when surrounded by superheroes from Starling and Central Cities combined.

She took another sip of her drink, then closed her eyes, breathing in the salty air. Thea stayed like that for a few minutes, until she heard the approaching footsteps, even over the low roar of the waves. Vigilantes couldn’t be caught unawares, after all. “Is it time for the rehearsal?” she asked, draining her glass before she reached down for her shoes. “Good, because I’m ready for the food I was promised afterwards--”

She dropped her shoes back to the sand when she turned around and was face to face, not with her brother, or Diggle, or even Laurel, like she would have expected.

Instead, Thea stared wide eyed into all too familiar pair of blue eyes set in a perfectly chiseled face.

“Roy?” she finally got out, the sound almost strangled. She glanced around them quickly, then took a step closer. “What are you--?”

“I got a call from Blondie,” he said, deceptively casual. His eyes were a different story; they were drinking her in, almost as desperately as she was drinking in the sight of him. “Apparently being CEO of a Fortune 500 company means you can buy out a resort for a weekend so you can marry your superhero fiance in peace, with your other superhero friends in attendance.” He took a step closer to her, his expression softening as he said, “She also said something about her maid of honor needing a date. So I figured I’d come and see if she was as gorgeous as I remembered.”

“And?” she replied, raising her eyebrow and trying to keep her best stoic Dearden look going when all she wanted to do was tackle him to the sand. She tilted her head to the side and asked “Is she?”

“Oh, wait. Felicity asked you to be maid of honor? Oh, this is awkward,” he deadpanned before he closed the rest of the distance between them. “She’s perfect,” he said, taking a breath and adding more softly, “ _You’re_ perfect.”

She gave into the urge and threw herself at him, but his arms were already there, wrapping around her tightly as their lips met for the first time in years. She lost track of time as she re-familiarized herself with his kisses, her hands gliding across his body. They only broke apart when there was a happy squeal not far away. She didn’t move out of Roy’s arms as she peeked over his shoulder.

“Thea, we’re ready to go for the rehearsal, but this must the surprise Felicity was talking about! Hi, I’m Donna Smoak-Lance,” Felicity’s mom said to Roy as she held out her hand. She grinned at Thea and added, “Is he your boyfriend? You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend!”

Thea just laughed as Roy blinked between the two of them, then took Donna’s hand and shook it. “Lance? Like Laurel?”

“You know my stepdaughter?” Donna said enthusiastically, scooping up Thea’s shoes and shooing the two of them back towards the resort. “Quentin isn’t thrilled to be gaining Oliver as a son-in-law, but I keep reminding him to look at how happy Felicity and Oliver are together, and how happy _we_ are together.” She smiled brightly at them. “And I can see how happy the two of you are together. Even if you never told me your name.”

Roy glanced at Thea. She thought for a moment, but if Felicity was the one who asked Roy to come, then she had to be reasonably confident there was no danger to Roy revealing himself as himself. She squeezed his hand and nodded slightly. “Roy,” he said to Donna. “I’m friends with your daughter and Oliver, too.”

“I’m so glad you could make it!” Donna replied with her typical enthusiasm. Thea couldn’t help but smile, too. Donna handed her shoes back to her as they arrived at the garden where the wedding was to be held the next day, where the rehearsal was taking place tonight. Donna went to where Captain Lance was sitting, just waiting until the dinner. Laurel was sitting next to her dad, her boyfriend Cisco Ramon on the other side of her, his arm draped casually around her. But it was the group standing and waiting at the beginning of the aisle that Roy was looking at.

Felicity was the first to launch herself at Roy, giving him a tight hug before letting him go to greet Ollie, Diggle, Lyla, and the two little Diggles. Thea took the moment to hug her almost-sister. “Thank you,” she whispered in Felicity’s ear. The blonde’s arms tightened around her before she told Thea fiercely, “The whole family needed to be here.”

Thea hoped there was nothing too complicated being gone over for the rehearsal ceremony, because she could barely remember a thing. She barely remembered dinner, either, beyond how happy everyone was (and if Ollie and Felicity made it to tomorrow without exploding from their happiness, Thea would count it a win). And then Roy was asking if she wanted to go for a walk on the beach, and she slipped away with him, hand in hand and scared that if she let go, he’d disappear again.

“Oliver’s not the best with hero names, is he?”

She gave him a look, then realized what he was talking about and laughed. “Felicity told you that I’m called Speedy. Ollie had already told everyone that was my name before I could try for Red Arrow.”

“He gave me my name, too. Arsenal.” Roy wrapped his arm around her as they started walking on the sand. “I always knew red was your color.”

They kept walking in silence for a little ways, the sound of the rushing water the only interruption. Finally, Thea said thoughtfully, “You know, there’s no rule saying Speedy can only protect one city.” She didn’t look at Roy as she continued. “And there’s also no rule forbidding me from taking a long vacation. I could just be following in my brother’s footsteps. I could even buy myself a Porsche.” She stopped and forced herself to face him. “But vacations are boring if you’re all alone.”

She watched as a smile crept across his face before suddenly his arms were wrapped tightly around her. “Yeah,” he said in her ear. “They are. They’re much better with someone you love.”

It sounded like a promise.

It was a promise that was kept when they left the resort two days later--together.


End file.
